It’s present everywhere, every day and in everybody’s life. Many residents of Macon County are not even aware of this silent force in their lives. Public health affects us all, ensuring that food served in our restaurants is safe to eat, keeping our water clean, making sure our children are vaccinated against dangerous diseases, and generally contributing to the quality of life in our county.

Macon County Public Health wants us to know about these and other public health benefits, so they are celebrating North Carolina Public Health Month in April.

“Public health is a quiet miracle, silently ensuring that our most basic and critical life needs are met,” Jim Bruckner, Health Director for Macon County said. “But because public health generally works to prevent problems, it often goes unnoticed. If people could imagine how chaotic and unsafe things would be without public health, they would appreciate the important role it plays in their daily lives.”

Macon County Public Health will be celebrating Public Health Month with a variety of activities, including recognition of the 3rd annual Public Health Hero volunteer, the launch of a new Facebook page www.facebook.com/MaconPublicHealth; and sponsorship of a Chamber of Commerce breakfast and the April Ladies Night Out event on April 24th. “We hope women in our community will come out to participate in this month’s program to see dynamic examples of public health working for them and learn how they can get involved,” Bruckner said.

Macon County Public Health staff have been working with and serving the public health needs of Macon residents for years, providing clinical, laboratory, environmental, and health education programs that are critical to the wellbeing of the community. To schedule a formal presentation about the quiet miracle of public health for your civic or social group, call Becky Barr at 349-2437.

County residents are also encouraged to attend regular meetings of the Macon County Board of Health to learn more about public health policy in Macon County. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Health is Tuesday, April 24th, 2012.